The present invention relates generally to the field of circuit breakers and actuation devices for circuit breakers. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for adjusting the position of a circuit breaker within an enclosure and with respect to other operating components.
Many applications exist in the industry for switching devices, including circuit breakers. In general, circuit breakers provide protection for wiring and various downstream components by limiting current from electrical sources, such as the power grid. In many industrial settings, three-phase breakers are used in which three-phase power is routed to a load through the circuit breaker hardware. The circuit breaker can be closed to complete the power path to downstream equipment, such as motor drives, switchgear, motor starters, and so forth. Upon occurrence of certain events, the circuit breaker may be caused to open, interrupting the current for all three phases. In most applications a manual reset is provided allowing operations personnel to re-close the circuit breaker after opening to re-enable the operation. In many applications, the circuit breakers may also be manually opened by actuation of a lever, knob or other interface hardware.
In many circuit breaker applications the circuit breaker module itself is housed in an enclosure, and an actuating assembly is mechanically coupled to the circuit breaker by various mechanisms. Due to variability in the positioning, tolerances, mechanical components, and so forth, certain adjustment may be required in the relative position of these within the enclosure. For example, circuit breakers are commonly moved upwardly or downwardly (or side-to-side depending upon their orientation) or certain hardware that interfaces with the circuit breaker may be similarly moved. This movement allows for more reliable operation due to improved alignment of the operating mechanisms. Heretofore available circuit breaker adjustment mechanisms, however, have allowed for very limited movement, and in ways that did not provide continuous or fine adjustment. Moreover, certain adjustment mechanisms in the past have allowed inadvertent changes to the positioning over time or with movement or operation of the enclosure or mechanisms.
There is a need, therefore, for improved designs for use in circuit breaker applications that can address such drawbacks.